Database Application Programming

(C#)

Chris North
CS 4604: DB

GUI/DB Application Model

Win Form
DataGrid
control

DB Connection
DB Adapter
DB SQL Query

DataSet
object

Database

Architecture Layers
App UI
App User

Application

WinForms, Swing

Application

Data Objects
ADO, JDBC

ODBC, OleDB, JDBC

OS

DB API

DB Driver

SQLserver, Jet
Internet, local

DBMS UI

DB Engine
SQLserver, Access

DB Admin

Database

Database

C# DataBase Access (ADO.net)

OleDB, ODBC, SQLdb,

Steps to get data:
1.
2.
3.
4.

dbConnection: connect to DB
dbCommand: SQL query text
dbAdapter: executes query
DataSet: resulting data

Steps to display data:

Bind to UI control, e.g. DataGrid

or Manual data processing

DB

Alternative: DataReader,
retrieve data incrementally

C# DB Example
Get data:
Using System.Data.OleDb;
// Jet = MS Access DB driver
con = new OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=c:/mydb.mdb);
cmd = new OleDbCommand("SELECT * FROM mytable, con); // SQL query
adpt = new OleDbDataAdapter(cmd);
data = new DataSet( );
adpt.Fill(data); // execute the query and put result in data

Display data:
dataGrid1.DataSource = data.Tables[0];
// show the table in the grid control
MessageBox.Show(data.Tables[0].Rows[0][5].ToString( )); // or process manually, this is row 0 col 5

DataSet vs. DataReader

DataSet:
Like 2D array: a[r][c]
Full dataset read from DB at
query execution time
Dataset cached locally in mem
Can disconnect from DB
Implemented using
DataReader (Adapter)
+ random data access
- Limited scalability
- initial read very slow

DataReader: (standard)
1 row at a time
No local memory storage
Fetch each row from DB on
demand
cursor = current row
Must stay connected to DB
+ scalability
- each row slow
- random access difficult

Object Model
DataSet:
Tables[n]
Rows[r]
columns[c]
Value, type,

Columns info [c]

Name, type,

DataReader: (standard)
Columns[c] (current row)
Value, type,

Columns info [c]

Name, type,

Cursor:
moveNext, MovePrev, moveTo
EOF

Cursors
Forward only vs. forward/back vs. random access
Read only vs. writeable

Connections
Connection strings:
Tons o examples: http://www.connectionstrings.com/

Con.open( )
Queries here
Con.close( ) // connections consume resources
Adapter.Fill( ) does open/close automatically

Commands (Queries)
Command Types:
SQL Query:
Relation: SELECT
Scalar: SELECT that returns 1 row, 1 col
Non-query: INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE

Table name
View name

Rdr = Cmd.ExecuteReader( );

Query Parameters
Want to substitute a parameter value into a query
Dynamic SQL query construction:
cmd = new OleDbCommand(
"SELECT * FROM table WHERE myAttr = " + myValue, con);

but: what if myValue contains weird chars?

Parameterized query: (more robust, reusable)
cmd = new OleDbCommand(
"SELECT * FROM table WHERE myAttr = ?", con); // ? = parameter
cmd.Parameters.Add(?, myValue); // parameter value

Or, put param query in DB as view / stored procedure:

cmd = new OleDbCommand("MyStoredQuery", con);
// name of view
cmd.CommandType = System.Data.CommandType.StoredProcedure;
cmd.Parameters.Add("?", myValue); // parameter value

DataBound UI Controls
Display a table:
DataGrid

Display a column:

DataGrid control
-scroll, sort, edit,

DataList
listBox
ComboBox

Display a cell value:

(of current row)

TextBox

Can bind any property of any UI control to any

DB column

Manual data processing

foreach(DataRow r in dataSet1.Tables[0].Rows) // for each row

{
doSomethingWith(r[columnName]); //or:
foreach(Object v in r.ItemArray) // for each column
doSomethingWith(v);
}

Saving Data Changes

Manual update/insert/delete queries:
cmd = new OleDbCommand(UPDATE table SET myAttr=value WHERE id=idval, con);
cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();
// query does not return data.

Adapters and bound UI Controls:

User can edit in DataGrid, etc.
Writes DataSet changes to DB on Update( ) method
Must have param update/insert/delete commands in Adapter
cmd = new OleDbCommand("UPDATE table SET attr1=?, attr2=? WHERE id=?", con);
cmd.Parameters.Add(new OleDbParameter(?, , attr1, DataRowVersion.Current ));
cmd.Parameters.Add(new OleDbParameter(?, , attr2, DataRowVersion.Current ));
cmd.Parameters.Add(new OleDbParameter(?, , id, DataRowVersion.Original ));
adpt.UpdateCommand = cmd;
adpt.Update(data);

// analogous to adpt.Fill(data);

Getting DB Schema Info

Get list of tables in the DB:
con.Open();
System.Data.DataTable t = con.GetOleDbSchemaTable(
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbSchemaGuid.Tables,
new object[]{null,null,null,"TABLE"} );

Visualization
Draw graphics in Paint event
Scale data coords to pixel coords
E.g. scatterplot:
foreach(DataRow r in dataSet1.Tables[0].Rows) // for each row
{
x = r[attr1] * Width / maxValue1; // Scale x,y to fit into window
y = Height - r[attr2] * Height / maxValue2; // also flip y axis
e.Graphics.FillEllipse(Brushes.Red, x, y, 10, 10);
}

Interaction

Mouse Events
Scale mouse coords back into data coords
Parameterized SQL query
E.g. 2 clicks define a rectangle:

Rect.left = click1.x / Width * maxValue1;

// scale click x,y back to data range

SELECT * FROM table

WHERE attr1 >= {rect.left} AND attr1 <= {rect.right}
AND attr2 >= {rect.top} AND attr2 <= {rect.bottom}
doSomething with results
Refresh( ); // repaint the window to show results in Paint event